Why Barmer’s groundwater records do not show a rise despite Rs 1,500 crore pumped in 3 years
Rajasthan’s drought-prone Barmer district has the highest number of groundwater recharge structures built under the Jal Shakti Abhiyan scheme of the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti (water resources). The 47,000 structures consisting of rooftop rainwater harvesting, trenches, ponds, tanks and check dams from 2021-2024 were constucted at a cost of Rs 1,300 crore, according to the official dashboard for the scheme.
This figure stands in stark contrast with the reality: There has been no increase in the groundwater levels in Barmer district, according to the reports of the Central Groundwater Board (CGWB). In fact, most of the monitoring stations in the district reported a decline in groundwater levels in the last decade from 2014 to 2024.
In 2024, around 28 per cent of the observation wells showed groundwater level deeper than 40 metres below ground level (mbgl), while around 35 per cent of the wells have groundwater 20-40 mbgl, according to CGWB. Around 23 per cent of the observation wells recorded groundwater in 10-20 mbgl, the analysis showed.
Gujro ke bera in Sheo block of the district, for instance, showed a decline of 18.85 metres during 2014-2024. Another station in Katerla in Dhorimanna block showed a decline of 7.53 metres in the same period. Arniyali station in Sindhari block showed a decline of 7.4 metres in the last decade.
Such decadal decline in groundwater levels raises questions on the effectiveness of groundwater recharge structures.
Host of schemes
An analysis of rainfall data of the CGWB between 1971 and 2020 showed that 41 per cent of the droughts in the district was severe in nature. The groundwater recharge structures were build to combat them, with funds from different departments, including the Mahatma Gandhi National RUral Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY), Finance Commission Grants and various other funds.
Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari is the newest theme of the flagship programme Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the rain. Jal Shakti Abhiyan was launched in 2019 with an aim to harvest every drop of rain by building efficient rainwater harvesting structures. This harvested rainwater can either be put for groundwater recharge or also can be used for various purposes by storing it in different storage structures.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic that started in 2020, the mission lost its pace. However, in 2021, the Jal Shakti Abhiyan again geared up with the theme of “Catch the rain, where it falls, when it falls”. To boost up the rainwater harvesting programme, ‘Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the rain’ became an annual event, where every year this mission is implemented with a particular theme.
In March 2023, the theme for this mission was “Source sustainability for drinking water sources, which was implemented between March and November 2023. March 2024 launched another theme, “Jal Shakti se Nari Shakti”, which focused on women empowerment and role of women in water security and sustainability. The “Jal Sanchay” initiative implemented by Gujarat came up with great collaboration of funds including Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). This also included local communities to bring in participation and ownership towards rainwater harvesting structures and contribute to the mission of Jal Shakti Abhiyan.
The success in Gujarat led to a new theme “Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari”, which was launched in September 2024 with a more inclusive approach. In this initiative, community participation was given more importance. Jan Bhagidari, meaning “people’s participation”, is encouraged in this theme of Jal Sanchay Abhiyan, where community members, individuals, institutions and various other stakeholders come together and work towards water sustainability through rainwater harvesting. Funds from around 18 sources can be utilised for construction of groundwater recharge structures.
According to the advisory on Jal Sanchaya Jan Bhagidari released on October 2024, these sources include MGNREGA, PMKSY, Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), funds from state government schemes, district mineral fund (DMF), rural infrastructure development fund (RIDF), funds from local area development scheme by Member of Parliaments (MP) or Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA), funds from CSR and various other funds from different government and private agencies and individuals. All these funds are used towards rainwater harvesting, rejuvenation of waterbodies, water conservation and groundwater recharge.
Under the MGNREGA, more than 38,000 structures have been constructed during 2021-22 to 2024-25. The number of the structures constructed annually have been gradually increasing since 2021-22.
During the same period, the total expenditure for construction of these structures is more than Rs 230 crore. This is a huge expenditure towards rainwater harvesting and groundwater recharge to ensure water security in the district. According to Mission Amrit Sarovar reports, around 97 waterbodies have been rejuvenated in the district between 2021 and 2024. The lakes and ponds also contribute to groundwater recharge.
In Barmer, there are two sets of aquifers — the shallower unconfined and the deeper confined. While the shallow aquifer is mainly recharged naturally, the deeper aquifers need groundwater recharge structures for replenishment.
If it is considered that few of the recharge structures have atleast been designed for the deeper confined aquifers between 2021 and 2024, then there should have been some impact on the rejuvenation of the declining groundwater of the deeper aquifer. But that was not the case.
During the same period, the most used deeper aquifer showed 3-7 metres decline below ground level.
Despite a lot of efforts and expenditure on creation of rainwater harvesting and groundwater recharge structures, the results are disappointing. In rare cases, a very negligible rise has been seen in dug wells, which represent unconfined aquifers. But the results are not in proportion to the number of structures constructed and the expenditure done.
Need for proper classification
The normal rainfall in the district is 277 millimetres. The district is well known for its deserts and a large part of the district is covered with a thick layer of sand.
Between 2021 and 2024, rainfall volumes increased from 2021 to 2023, where 2023 received the highest rainfall in the last decade. Though 2024 received comparatively lower rainfall of 449 mm, it is 62 per cent higher than the normal rainfall.
Climate change plays a crucial role in variability of rainfall and number of rainy days. In 2023, 270 mm of rainfall was recorded in May and June — the hottest and driest months of the year. Thus, it is important for the district to harvest every drop of rain and conserve it in its aquifers through groundwater recharge structures to ensure water sustainability and mitigate climate change risks.
Since the recharge of deeper aquifers is difficult due to natural reasons, the district should use the shallow aquifer judiciously. The shallow aquifer, according to the expert, is under stress due to the lack of any other source of water in the desert area. This means that the district should also focus on collection of rainwater following traditional wisdom.
“Shallow aquifers in Barmer are used by the community for their different uses. This aquifer is recharged through rainwater harvesting structures. Since the quantum of this freshwater is less, it gets exhausted soon. On the other hand, the deeper aquifer has an upper confining layer of gypsum, which is impermeable and does not allow easy recharge of groundwater” said Durjoy Chakraborty, retired scientist, CGWB.
The aquifers in western Rajasthan are highly over-exploited, according to the Report on Aquifer Mapping and Groundwater Management Plan 2019-20 by CGWB.
In Barmer, more than 60 per cent of borewells have brackish water, which have total dissolved solids (TDS) higher than 3,000 milligrammes per litre (mg / l). Hardness of more than 300 mg / l has been found in 80 per cent of groundwater sources. Such deteriorated groundwater quality makes it unfit for drinking.
The local communities are dependent on the surface water sources, as those are the only freshwater sources available. To augment the freshwater sources and provide the community with potable water, the government has constructed “tankas” in the district in huge numbers. As per the local interaction, more than 90 per cent of total structures constructed are tankas, which harvest and store rainwater.
These structures have been constructed under Jal Shakti Abhiyan and also by using MGNREGS funds. But these structures have been reported under “groundwater recharge structures” category by the district administration.
This categorisation is a mistake because the tankas are water harvesting structures, said a senior government official, who didn't wish to be named.
The district has faced severe droughts frequently in the last fifty years. According to the reports of the Krishi Vigyan Kendra Barmer, the district faced 61 events of famine in the last 100 years, out of which 24 were very severe. The livelihoods, agriculture and domestic needs of people can only be met if there is sustainability of groundwater sources.
The groundwater level data analysis for the last decade implies that the groundwater is not recharged at the same pace with construction of number of structures. The groundwater recharge structure must be constructed at appropriate sites. Making use of advanced tools like geospatial technologies can help identify the potential recharge zones, and the suitable structures shall be constructed at those sites.